New Brunswick is set to reopen its immigration streams after a period of adjustment, following the federal government’s decision to allocate the province just 2,750 immigrant nomination spaces for 2025. These spaces will be distributed between the New Brunswick Provincial Nominee Program (NBPNP) with 1,500 spaces, and the Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP) with 1,250 spaces.
In a press release on February 5, Jean-Claude D’Amours, the acting Minister of Post-Secondary Education for New Brunswick, acknowledged that the reduced allocation has forced the province to make “difficult decisions.” He stated, “We expect it will limit our ability to manage economic growth for our province and its businesses.”
To manage these constraints, the province will prioritize sectors like health, education, and construction, while providing some additional support to other sectors. Certain occupations will be restricted from participating in the immigration streams.
This article provides:
- Details of New Brunswick’s immigration streams.
- Potential future changes to New Brunswick’s allocations.
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Stream and Program Updates
Here’s a summary of updates for each New Brunswick immigration stream:
| Stream | Status | Details |
|---|---|---|
| New Brunswick Express Entry | Will start accepting EOIs soon | Accepting EOIs under two pathways: Employment in New Brunswick and New Brunswick Interests. |
| New Brunswick Strategic Initiative | Not accepting EOIs | No new applications due to sufficient inventory. |
| Private Career College Graduate Program | Accepting EOIs | Program will end in autumn 2025. |
| New Brunswick Skilled Worker | Starting to accept EOIs | Stream now has three pathways. |
| New Brunswick Business Immigration | Accepting EOIs | Applicants must have a business running for at least 6 months. |
| New Brunswick Critical Worker Pilot | Accepting applications | N/A. |
| Atlantic Immigration Program | Accepting applications | N/A. |
Further details for updated streams and new criteria are outlined below.
New Brunswick Express Entry
The New Brunswick Express Entry stream will begin accepting new Expressions of Interest (EOIs) under the following two pathways:
- Employment in New Brunswick pathway.
- New Brunswick Interests pathway.
However, candidates in the following occupations will not be considered:
- Accounting technicians and bookkeepers (NOC 12200)
- Administrative assistants (NOC 13110)
- Restaurant and food service managers (NOC 60030)
- Food service supervisors (NOC 62020)
- Cooks (NOC 63200)
- Bakers (NOC 63202)
Additionally, the New Brunswick Student connection will not return for 2025.
New Brunswick Strategic Initiative
The Strategic Initiative stream has sufficient EOIs and is no longer accepting new applications at this time. Interested newcomers are encouraged to check for updates later in the year.
The “In-Person Exploratory Visit to New Brunswick” connection, paused in November 2024, will not return in 2025.
New Brunswick Skilled Worker
The New Brunswick Skilled Worker stream will begin accepting new applications in the coming weeks. It is divided into three pathways:
- New Brunswick Work Experience Pathway
- Must have worked full-time, non-seasonally for an eligible New Brunswick employer in the past 6 months.
- Must have lived in New Brunswick during the last 6 months.
- New Brunswick Graduates Pathway
- Must have completed a program eligible for a Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) at a New Brunswick Designated Learning Institution (DLI).
- Must have a full-time non-seasonal job or job offer from an eligible New Brunswick employer.
- New Brunswick Priority Occupations Pathway
- Must have a full-time, non-seasonal job offer from an eligible New Brunswick employer resulting from a government-led recruitment mission.
- Must be in a specified priority National Occupation Classification (NOC) code.
- Must have at least one year of related experience.
Candidates in the following occupations will not be considered for the Skilled Worker stream:
- Accounting technicians and bookkeepers (NOC 12200)
- Administrative assistants (NOC 13110)
- Shippers and receivers (NOC 14400)
- Restaurant and food service managers (NOC 60030)
- Food service supervisors (NOC 62020)
- Cooks (NOC 63200)
- Bakers (NOC 63202)
- Bartenders (NOC 64301)
- Other customer representatives (NOC 64409)
- Food and beverage servers (NOC 65200)
- Food counter attendants, kitchen helpers, and related occupations (NOC 65201)
- Process control and machine operators in food and beverage processing (NOC 94140)
- Fish and seafood plant workers (NOC 94142)
- Laborers in food and beverage processing (NOC 95106)
- Laborers in fish and seafood (NOC 95107)
Will New Brunswick’s Allocation Change in the Future?
While it is uncertain whether New Brunswick can resolve its allocation challenges, the provincial government has raised its concerns with the federal government, and discussions are ongoing.
For example, Newfoundland and Labrador, which faced a similar reduction in allocations, successfully negotiated with the federal government to recover most of its immigrant spaces. The province was able to reduce its allocation cut from 50% to just a 2.3% decline by agreeing to take in 290 humanitarian immigrants over the next three years. This deal could help restore provincial nomination spaces.
If New Brunswick wishes to restore its provincial allocations, it may need to reach a similar agreement with the IRCC regarding its future intake of humanitarian immigrants.
